ASCAP Foundation Honors Jason Mraz with Champion Award

ASCAP Foundation to honor superstar Jason Mraz with Champion Award recognizing his commitment to using music to help others

Jason Mraz

New York, December 10, 2012. The ASCAP Foundation will honor multi-Grammy Award-winning artist Jason Mraz with The ASCAP Foundation Champion Award for his longtime leadership in such social causes as human equality, environmental protection, arts education and assisting people with spinal cord injuries. Previous recipients of the Champion Award include John Mellencamp, Billy Joel, Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie and Tony Bennett and Susan Bennedetto.

The accolade will be presented during the Foundation's 17th Annual Awards Ceremony, held at the Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, in New York City on Wednesday, December 12th, 2012. The invitation-only event, hosted by ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams, will also honor a wide variety of Scholarship and Award recipients, all of whom benefit from programs of The ASCAP Foundation.

Hailed as one of today's most gifted pop troubadours, Jason Mraz is a photographer, activist, surfer, yogi, student and teacher. Jason has taken his musical journey from coffee houses to stadiums globally and now has two Grammy Awards and six Grammy nominations to his credit. Mraz's WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS. proved a global blockbuster, earning numerous platinum certifications worldwide. One of the album's hit songs, "I'm Yours," was a momentous #1 smash in many formats around the world, earning ASCAP's 2010 "Song of the Year" award while also setting the record for the longest-running song in the 51-year history of Billboard's Hot 100. "I Won't Give Up," Mraz's most recent single from his new album Love Is a Four Letter Word, is also proving to be a hit, approaching 5 million in worldwide sales. In addition, Mraz has been feted with a number of other honors, including the Songwriters Hall of Fame's esteemed Hal David Starlight Award, presented to gifted songwriters who are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs.

As a social activist, Mraz has worked closely with such groups as Surfrider Foundation, Free the Slaves and the True Colors Fund, and has actively supported VH1's Save the Music, Free the Children, SPARC (the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community), MusiCares and Life Rolls On (an organization devoted to improving the lives of young people affected by spinal cord injuries). He is an outspoken advocate for a clean environment, sustainable energy, education and human equality, recently creating the Jason Mraz Foundation to help sustain organizations aligned with his pillars of service. This month, Mraz will make an historic appearance in Myanmar, becoming the first international artist to ever perform an open-air show in the country. The show, in partnership with MTV Exit, will serve to raise awareness of human trafficking, yet another cause Mraz will lend his humanitarian voice to.

Commenting on the award to Mraz, Paul Williams said, "Jason Mraz is one of our most gifted and successful contemporary songwriter-artists. I've come to know Jason as a man as giving as he is gifted. Committed to improving the lives of his fellow human beings - whether through environmental activism, speaking out for the rights of the gay and lesbian community or working to make a difference for those afflicted with spinal cord injuries, he is richly deserving of The ASCAP Foundation Champion Award."

About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs for songwriters, composers and lyricists. The ASCAP Foundation is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music lovers throughout the United States. www.ascapfoundation.org